Rugby league: Penrith Panthers break 17-year drought to claim NRL minor premiership

It's been an incredibly successful season for the Penrith Panthers in 2020. Photo / Photosport

The Penrith Panthers are the 2020 minor premiers in a 32-12 win over the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Panthers have lost just one game and had one draw in the 19 rounds of the season to romp to the club's third minor premiership.

And it's a good omen for the Panthers, who have won both of their premierships — in 1991 and 2003 — after leading the ladder into the finals.

The win was the side's 14th straight as it seems the only ones who can deny them tries are their own teammates.

Having already rushed out to a 10-0 lead after 12 minutes, the Panthers scored again immediately with try scoring centre Stephen Crichton leading the chase after a brilliant grubber from Jerome Luai only to be taken out by Kyle Feldt in one of the clearest penalty tries of the season.

Only his winger Josh Mansour was also quick to the ball, grounding it in the in-goal.

"This will be a penalty try for sure, 100 per cent," Steve Roach said on Fox League as the referee sent it up as a penalty try.

But Dan Ginnane asked: "If Mansour gets it down first, do we take it off Crichton even though it's an obvious penalty try?

"We agree it's a try, it's just whether it's a penalty try."

It turns out you do take it off Crichton and give it to Mansour.

It's a shame for Crichton, who is equal second on the NRL try scoring ladder with 15 tries for the season after scored the second try of the night – he would have been just one try behind the Wests Tigers' David Nofoaluma in first if he had been awarded the penalty try.

"That video ref may have cost Crichton the try scoring title," Ginnane added. "But it's a Penrith try and that's all that really matters."

Roach said it was "a professional foul on the way through for the man trying to get the ball, he should be in the sin bin for that".

Even the Panthers social media team believed Crichton was robbed.

Great awareness from @Josh_Mansour robs Stephen Crichton of a certain penalty try 👀

FOLLOW: https://t.co/ru85j63tUe#pantherpride #NRLCowboysPanthers pic.twitter.com/w1Dgp7Ei6e

— Penrith Panthers 🏆🏆🏆 (@PenrithPanthers) September 18, 2020

And Nathan Cleary may have preferred a penalty try, with the kick from fairly wide out which he missed, compared to a kick from directly in front.

Ultimately it didn't really matter, with the Panthers cruising to a 20-0 lead at the break in a dominating performance.

The Panthers took their foot off the accelerator in the second half but still scored two more tries, while the Cowboys scored a pair of consolation tries themselves to ensure it wasn't a complete blowout, although North Queensland were never in the game.